On the latest "On the Air," Armand Broady examines the state of sports TV talk shows one year after the end of "Around the Horn."
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Though it lacked the sizzle of other television shows, “Around the Horn” still held a certain place within the sports media landscape. If nothing else, it provided a lighthearted break from the nonstop bloviating that fills the airwaves.
When debate becomes aesthetic rather than substantive, predictability follows. Every topic becomes existential. Every playoff game result becomes an indictment on someone’s legacy. Every athlete becomes either overrated or disrespected. Not only does this kind of content produce cheap imitators on YouTube, it damages relationships between athletes and the media.
Yet, there is reason to be encouraged.
Excellent commentators still exist across the industry. There are numerous former athletes who continue to bring tactical analysis viewers genuinely appreciate. And there are still many within sports television who daily choose credibility over histrionics.
The end of “Around the Horn” serves as a useful marker symbolizing more than the cancellation of a television show. It marked the fading of a format that believed sports arguments could still be spirited, informed and occasionally fun without plummeting into constant combat.
Sports television will always need personalities. The question is whether those who produce and those who watch can find a balance between perspective and performance.
